Thursday, May 04, 2017

N23bn Diezani bribe: I received N70m – INEC staff confesses

A staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Yisa Olanrewaju Adedoyin, has pleaded guilty to receiving the sum of N70,050,000.00 from the N23billion alleged Diezani Allison-Madueke bribe meant to compromise electoral officers before the 2015 general election.

Adedoyin alongside Christian Nwosu and Tijani Inda Bashir were re-arraigned Wednesday on an amended six-count charge bordering on receiving gratification to the tune of N264, 880, 000.00 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, before Justice M.B. Idris of the Federal High Court Ikoyi, Lagos.

One of the counts reads: ‘‘That you, Mrs. Diezani Allison Madueke (still at large) and Tijani Inda Bashir on or about the 27th day of March, 2015 in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court directly took possession of the sum of N264,880,000.00 which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an offence contrary to Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.”

Both the first defendant, Nwosu, and third defendant, Bashir pleaded not guilty to all the charges when they were read to them.

However, the second defendant, Adedoyin, pleaded guilty to count four of the charge.

While addressing the court, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that the second defendant, Adedoyin, benefited the sum of N28million out of the N70,050,000.00(Seventy Million, Fifty Thousand Naira) he collected from the third defendant, Bashir, during the 2015 general election.

Oyedepo further told the court that Commission had recovered properties worth N23 million and N5 million draft from Adedoyin’s account.

In his address, Oyedepo also told the court that Adedoyin had entered a plea bargain agreement with the Commission to pay a fine of N10million.

Oyedepo, however, said that the N5 million recovered from his account will form part of the N10m fine.